D.J. Newbill

Classroom

D.J. Newbill is one of the most committed students on the Penn State roster and is on track to graduate in the spring with a degree in communication arts and sciences. His grade-point average has skyrocketed over the last three years since transferring after his freshman season because of his willingness to take advantage of all the extraordinary opportunities Penn State offers in tutors and mentors. During his redshirt season in 2011-12, he used it as a chance to take a heavier course load, which laid the foundation for his continued academic success.

Character

D.J. Newbill’s journey to becoming an All-Big Ten guard has not been a smooth one. Numerous stories have been written about a life of loss and sadness, of broken promises and of the circuitous route from inner-city Philadelphia to the Deep South and back to the mountains of Central Pennsylvania. Newbill resists sharing much of his story, preferring to let it internally drive him, but he has handled everything that has come his way with a grace that belies his age. It is his fuel for capitalizing on every opportunity that comes his way in the classroom, on the court and in the community. The two-time team captain has been tireless in not only making himself the best possible player, leader and teammate he can be, but in positioning Penn State’s quest for success above his own.

Community

D.J. Newbill is active within the Penn State campus and surrounding community, both engaging in team events and fundraisers and taking the extra step on his own. Newbill served as a volunteer at the Special Olympics Pennsylvania State Summer Games and was a part of the Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts Kids Day, interacting with young people from across the state. Newbill and his teammates make an annual trip to the Hershey Cancer Institute to visit with adult and pediatric patients and host a clinic each year for kids battling cancer, inviting them into the locker room and gym as Nittany Lions for a day. They also participate in THON, the largest student-run philanthropic project in the world, both as part of the main event and assisting in Mini-THON at area middle schools. Additionally, Newbill was a part of the group who participated in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s in memory of Head Coach Patrick Chambers’ father.

Competition

D.J. Newbill has led the Big Ten in scoring from the start of the season and is the top-scoring player among the Power 5 conferences, holding court in the Top 10 in all of Division I. He is ranked No. 4 in all-time in career scoring at Penn State in just three seasons wearing the blue and white and is one of only two players to score at least 500 points in three-consecutive seasons. Including his freshman year points from Southern Mississippi, Newbill is poised to pass the 2,000-point mark for his college career — likely the only Big Ten player to do so — and is among the Top 15 active career leaders in all divisions of NCAA basketball.